Advertising and Technolgy

Menu

New Google TV Spot – “Questions”

Last night while indulging in the latest episode of my favorite NBC television series, The Blacklist, a new TV spot from Google aired and caught my eye. The one-minute spot circled around the idea of “A question is the most powerful force in the world.” Overtaking the TV screen, the commercial demonstrates in full animation the search possibilities of the Google App, highlighting such features as song identification, maps integration, audio feedback, speech translation and reminders.

Google has always done a great job of taking features of its products and marrying them with emotion in their advertising, and this commercial is no exception. Subtle cues throughout the spot showcase Google’s beliefs and value system. For example, instead of demonstrating some kind of meaningless question like “What is the capital of ____?” the first question asked in the spot is “Where is the nearest rescue shelter?” Later in the spot, the question, “When is National Coming Out day?” is asked, showcasing Google’s support for sex equality, as demonstrated in the past.

You may notice that Google chose not to display a particular device (Android or iOS,) nor imply that the app is being used on either. I believe this choice was a conscious decision to show that no matter what device you are on, Google can help. This commercial may also be in response to the recent release of the Apple Watch paired with Siri functionality – sort of a “Hey, don’t forget how awesome Google’s voice search function is.”

What do you think about Google’s new spot? Let me know in the comments below. Don’t forget to subscribe for more posts like this and connect on Twitter (@HOOKDin) for all the latest!